Authors: M.D Khamil
Back about few months ago when I was driving to another state with Prince looking for canned rations to stock up, I saw a family of three carefully picking up and transferring canned rations to their van, avoiding any noises they could have made. About half miles west of them I saw a group of walkers standing and circling around a rotten dead body. They were about twelve in a group. The flag near the road just in front of the store started to flap. That was when the walkers start running towards them. They did not realize it, not until they were out of the store that the walkers were already rushing towards them. They had guns with them and I heard this “bang bang” sound but within seconds, the sound had stopped. They all died. They did the mistake of not shooting them directly on their heads. It’s the most vital part in killing them, or better to decapitate them. Oh, for the reason why the walkers aware of the family presence, it was because of their smell, carried of by the wind. Today, I am determined to go for it. I am going to Newton’s building and find the cure. I have no choice. My life and others who were still survived depends on it. Dear God The Al-Mighty, if you could hear me, if you’re up there, protect me on my Journey to survival. Amen.
Chapter 3
A Mission To Accomplish
It only took about an hour and a half to reach Newton’s building from the place where I lived. Located just north from my apartment and sitting in once a peaceful and beautiful city named Greendale. It was a new made city in 2020. The city was well developed, so fast like it has been there long time ago. I parked my truck on the road just in front of the building. Just in case if something happened, I’ll just drive through. I brought along Prince with me. He became an essential friend and a kind of useful guidance for me. Yup, it’s pretty convenient. He could smell them too. If he were aware of the walker's presence, he would barked three times to let me know. High above me I saw an old big signboard on top of the building almost falling with wordings "We create a better future, guaranteed by our scientists!" and a little bit of information to the side with a date on saying "If you have any inquiries or ideas on how you want us to develop a new technology, share your opinions and send directly to our email [email protected] before 22 September 2027. Five lucky winners will win a brand new holographic touch tablet, The XX-Newt, by Newton’s Technology. We would love to hear from you. Newton, Your Life Companion!" Well what I'm sure was that, Newton was far from my life companion but my life nightmare it was and that it has been long expired, about three years ago before this pandemic started. It’s Tuesday, 14th April 2030, at 09:42 hours, that I will remember this day, the day I would be creating my own history in saving humans from extinction. That, if there were still humans out there for me to rescue.
I dressed up fully like a SWAT member. Don’t ask where I get this uniform. I risked my life for it. I’m wearing a mask to prevent the living dead from sniffing my breath from afar that would ambush me whenever I am not aware of them. I am equipped with weapons. I carried my favorite silver Desert Eagle, an M16 tied to my back, A pair of combat knives I hid in both of my boots and a multi function all in one belt tied on my hips where I kept my grenades, flash bangs, smoke bombs and ammunitions. The surrounding seems quite but deadly. The silence was unusual. It was kind of deafening silence and something told me that bad things would happen. I took a deep breath before I made another step. The building was about thirteen or fifteen stories high and what evil lurking inside I wouldn’t want to know. What’s going to happen then so be it. They come I killed. It’s time. I'm ready.
I’m inside. A creeping chilled ran down to my spine as I walked passed by several rotten dead bodies, full with maggots. They were the scientists who used to work in the building. How do I know that? It’s obvious the white long coat they’re wearing. I almost puke. The smell inside was unbearable. Although that I’m wearing a mask, the smell could still enter through the line under my covered face. No I don’t have any special suit with oxygen for breathing, thanks. I probably could get them here, hey it’s the Newton, they have everything. No, that was not my plan why I get here. To get a freaking suit. Besides the plague does not spread through air but from physical touch on their bodily liquid. Saliva, sweat and blood. Never let it touch my skin. The virus enters through your skin pores. Thinking about it, made me feel like no slight hope. Hell no. The environment inside the building was totally fucked up. Papers everywhere, chairs and tables were all upside down some even broken. The windows were cracked and shattered, and the white concrete wall were covered with splattered of blood. They almost looked like abstract arts. Only that the color already change to brown. It has been three years since the tragedy.
Then I heard this little "chit chit" sound. I tried to look around looking for it's source. I really hope it wasn't what I think it was. I raised my right hand fisting my palm. It’s a signed I taught Prince for a halt. “Wait up buddy, stay behind me.” I saw him stopped then sit while waging his tail from side to side as if he knew, something was going to happen and ready for anything. I slowly moved to the front door of the elevator just next to the right in front of me. Beside the elevator was a narrow corridor, there’s a hanging sign on top of the ceiling telling the way to male and female restroom. Again, I slowly moved my body trying to take a peek what was it that making sound next to the elevator. To my shocked, it was what I think it was. No, it’s not the living dead. It’s the rats! They were as twice as dangerous than the walkers, they’re fast and they could jump! And all of them were infected by the virus as they feed on the dead! Again I moved very slowly avoiding any possible noises I could make, then suddenly a lamp fall down from the ceiling just about near from where I was standing. "Shit!" I shouted as immediately. The rats reacted to the sound, some were running and some were jumping. "Prince! Go! Go! Go!" He ran as I told him to but he went to the wrong direction. He went upstairs on the first floor. "Oh fucked! Prince! No!" I had no choice but ran as fast as I could upstairs and looked out for him. I had my gun on my hand ready but a change of plan instantly switched my thought. “Gun won’t work on a group of rats, but a Grenade will!” Just as I reached the first floor, I pulled out the pin and threw away the Grenade on the stairs and close the steel door of the first floor. “Boom!” A massive shook as if an earthquake had just occured. The windows and ceiling of the first floor was shaking vigorously while dust started to fall and fly around the area. Black liquid and red meat was visible through the transparent glass of the steel door.
There was still no sign of Prince. I wonder if he had gone to another floor upstairs. I just wish that he remembered what I taught him. No eating or drinking anything that smells like the living dead. He’s a smart dog. He’ll know if danger approached and what to do if I'm not around. I’m lying on my back and took off my mask, still catching my breath, trying to inhale more air into my lungs. I closed my eyes for a moment thinking of what should I do next. Should I continue my search or should I just quit, find Prince and went home? I have gone here, I should have finished what I have started. There’s no turning back now. I must have it. Just as I about to stand up, a clicking sound of a gun was heard and a gun was pointed at the back of my head.
"Get up, don’t try anything stupid or I’ll blow your head off. Turn around." I saw a young lady, looks younger than me, maybe about two or three years younger, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. She dressed up all in black leather with black boots. She has a bright blonde hair tied up in ponytail. She’s well equipped. I could see her gears around her hips. Some I’ve never seen before. Her body figure was as beautiful as a model. I guess it’s the leather. "Be careful with the rats, they’re not normal." She said with a sharp glance towards my eyes.
Chapter 4
New Companion
"Put your hands behind your head. Who are you? Why are you here? Who sent you? Who do you work for?"
"Such a lovely meeting but lady, that’s a hell of a lot of questions to start with."
"Shut up, believe me I’ll pull this trigger if you don’t. Who do you work for? Answer me."
"Ahh, well first of all I don’t work for nobody and I'm on my own, and my other friend whom I lost few minutes ago."
"You’re not alone?"
"Right you are ma’am."
"Then, he’s probably be dead. You said you don’t work with anyone, what’s with the uniform?"
"Oh I forgot about that. Why don’t you put the gun down first and let us have a comfortable conversation? I'm not your enemy. It would be better if we talk nicely."
"We are."
"Come on, trust me."
"Why should I trust you? What made you believe that you’re not going to attack me?"
"Because I believe we're in the same side, you can take and strip off my weapons if that makes you happy. There're not so many of us left. No use to fight each other."
I saw her eyes carefully examining me from top to bottom. She doesn’t looked like a normal young lady to me, no I don’t mean like she’s one of them but she’s just different. She looked a little bit muscular on some parts of her body. Her biceps and thighs obviously show the signs. She lowered the gun that she pointed at me slowly.
"I trust you." She finally said it.
"Thank you." I replied.
"But that doesn’t mean I trust you completely. Now what lead you here?"
"I am looking for the cures. To fix this. This deadly pandemic."
She giggles then burst into laughter.
"What’s so funny?" I gaze toward her irritatedly.
"Cures? There’s no such thing as cures."
"What?"
"There’s no cure. This is not some normal plague that can be cured with any kinds of drugs or medicines."
"Then we’re doomed."
"Not really." she replied as if nothing serious was happening.
"Not really? Is that the best what you could think of? Not really? This is not a game. We both could be the last humans right now on earth. No cures, then yes to death!"
"Hey! I don’t come here for nothing alright!? Yes, there’s no cure yet to be found to this deadly pandemic. But there is something hidden here that I need to find out. Something that will lead us to save our kinds!"
"What is it?" I asked.
"I don’t even know yet, but we have to go to the top most floor of the building, where lies all the answers."
"What we could probably find up there if not bunch of the living dead?"
"Depends on our luck. Something tells me that we should go to Dr. Edward O’Neil’s office on the top most floor."
"So it’s a deal. We’re working together now?"
"Temporarily."
"I’m Travis."
"I have no intention of telling my name to you."
"Okay, then tell me what do you know about this plague?"
"The Black Death and Ebola", "It has something to do with it. Only now that it is on a whole new different level."
"What do you mean?" I desperately wanting to know more.
"The scientists were crazy. They started it. It’s their own technology. If only they didn’t fiddle and play with something they don’t understand this wouldn’t have happen."
"What are you talking about?"
"Some of the scientists here formed a secret group of their own. Tightly secured from government ears. They experimented on some weird stuff that were illegal. Creating and mixing DNA to create new form of mutation and evolution kind of thing. I believe this plague was a failed experiment. I heard about them discussing about Project Z-Virus. The Black Plague and Ebola was their first experiment. Dr. Edward O’Neil and his partner Dr. Richard Ross has succeeded inventing a secret formula and technology that supposed to be the cure to any disease there is on earth. The serum was in inspection, experiment and tested multiple times for twelve years before it is officially launch. Sadly enough the news of missing scientists whom one of them happened to be Dr. Richard Ross interrupted Dr. O’Neil's emotion for several years but life must go on and to achieve their goals. It’s a technology known as Newton’s Nano Metabolism, in the form of liquid. The Nano-M has static powered energy that kills the disease from the inside. Last time they tried it on a sick dog that they have injected with the Black Plague and Ebola. Then they tested this bio technology by injecting it into the dog. That’s how it all started. How the Nano-M reacted and stabilized to form a new type of deadly virus to the Black Plague and Ebola is still unknown and a mystery."
"How do you know all of this stuff? Who are you?"
"That’s none of your business. We must go now or would you prefer staying here till you get eaten and become one of them? I will gladly more than happy to shoot you."
"Not a chance. Let’s move now."
Chapter 5
Letter
We started moving quickly and get into the elevator of the first floor. I thought we should be grateful that the electricity were still working. I couldn’t imagine if there was no power, it would be dark as hell and we wouldn’t be able to walk or run as freely as we could now.
"Fifteenth floor quickly!" said the lady. I pressed the button. The orange light on the button glew and the top number of the elevator door started to change according to each floor we were getting on to. While waiting for the elevator we rode on to reach the top most floor of the building, I started the first conversation with her. "Are you alone? I mean like alone. Family? Friends?" I said while waiting for her reply.
"Why does it bother you? Nothing fancy about my life." She replied like an annoyed person.
"I just need to know. You know, sharing one’s problem tends to ease a person’s misery. Telling your problems might does the job, if not many but a little." I looked at her and she seemed upset and hesitating.
"I was born without knowing who my parents was, I was raised in an orphanage. Until one day a single father adopted me. I was only fourteen. He taught me many things about life, patience and struggles. We had a perfect life. He was like everything to me. Eventhough I don’t have a mother, the love of a father is enough for me. Until one day, our home was robbed by a gang of criminals. He told me to hide in the attic and so I did. He fought off those criminals. When I thought everything was already at peace I came down, only to find my father was dead with a knife stabbed right through his heart." I saw her eyes were turning red. I feel so bad asking about it. I must have had forced her to recall her dark memories.